Copper to the World

Copper to the World

South Australia’s copper endowment and leadership in Australian copper production makes it a natural fit to host the inaugural Copper to the World conference.

To be held in Adelaide on 27 June 2017 at the Adelaide Convention Centre, Copper to the World will deliver a global perspective on the future of copper with insights to innovate and engage across the copper value chain and share progress aimed at discovering new economic ore bodies.

Copper to the World has secured speakers from Chile, the UK and Australia including the Chilean Productivity Commission and the Chilean Copper Commission, international commodity consultancy CRU and the CSIRO.

The dynamic program will address topics ranging from international partnerships, copper demand and supply forecasts, innovation and opportunities for the supply chain and METS (mining equipment, technology and services) sector and progress towards discovering more economic ore bodies.

South Australia’s Copper Strategy, launched in 2016 to leverage the state’s natural endowment to address an expected increase in global demand for copper, will be a key feature of the conference.

The strategy sets an ambitious target to triple the state’s copper production to 1 million tonnes a year within the next two decades.

To create the best technical and business environment for pushing the copper trajectory upwards, the Copper Strategy focuses efforts across the copper value chain in exploration, developing innovative infrastructure services and research, and building industry capacity. This approach is quickly gaining momentum with copper companies, suppliers, research institutes, academia, and government departments that have thrown their weight behind it.

The South Australian Government has taken several early steps to implement the strategy, including providing $20 million for the PACE Copper initiative – to bring forward discoveries – and $10 million to support innovative research into a process to improve copper-in-concentrate – to enhance production.

PACE Copper, through its programs of technical innovation, contemporary datasets and collaborative drilling, is underpinning the search for new copper resources that will continue to deliver South Australia a pipeline of world-class copper developments.

South Australia is a fitting conference host with copper very much the engine room of its economy – with $1.9 billion exported and significant quantities landing in Europe, Asia and India. A proven copper exploration destination, the state currently has 125 companies exploring for new copper mineral targets.

South Australia has 68% of Australia’s economic-demonstrated resources of copper and hosts three operating polymetallic copper mines – Olympic Dam (the world’s fourth largest copper mine), Prominent Hill and Kanmantoo. Future production is expected to be added from sizeable expansions of these major mines and advancing developments at Carrapateena in the Gawler Craton and Kalkaroo in the Curnamona Province.

An update on the Copper Strategy’s International Copper Technology and Research Hub – designed to link and leverage copper research programs and initiatives to support the planned expansion of copper production – will be presented as part of the technical innovation session which will also address many of the challenges required for efficient copper production, ensuring mine production continues.